


Forgiveness Does Not Come Easy

by Emme2589



Category: Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arguing, Bittersweet, Blood and Injury, Boys Kissing, Conflict of Interests, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Grief/Mourning, Guilt, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Kissing, Loss of Trust, M/M, Major Character Injury, No Smut, Psychological Trauma, Redemption, Revenged Ending | R (Henry Stickmin), Romance, Rough Kissing, Scars, Suicidal Ideation, Swearing, Switching Sides, Trust Issues, Unwanted Feelings, Villains to Heroes, every rated t story i get to say fuck, henry gets kissed a lot, just remember everything that happened in Revenged and consider that your warning, some elements from toppat civil warfare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27953705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emme2589/pseuds/Emme2589
Summary: Charles and Henry have too much chemistry, considering one of them is a high-ranking government pilot while the other is the leader of the Toppat clan. There isn't much they can do about it though, so they remain enemies, secretly dreading the day that one might kill the other.That is, until Henry is betrayed, and his whole world turns upside-down.
Relationships: Charles Calvin/Henry Stickmin, Dave Panpa/Rupert Price
Comments: 6
Kudos: 96





	Forgiveness Does Not Come Easy

**Author's Note:**

> This one I owe partially to [Starveined](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starveined), who gave me the final idea that made this whole story fall into place. Hope you like it!

The fires were obvious even from a distance.

It was days before the scheduled Toppat raid when the government realized that someone had beat them to it. The noise of the crashing airship was like an explosion of metal, jet fuel igniting and setting off a chain reaction that obliterated everything in sight.

So, as Charles exited the helicopter and looked out over the carnage, he could tell with a kind of bone-chilling dread that made his teeth chatter, everyone on the squad was thinking the same thing.

What happened?

It was Rupert who found the first body. He began to cry. Dave was still on the airship after his capture, and so in wreckage like this? Dave was very unlikely to still be alive. It broke Charles' heart how frantic Rupert was as he searched, screaming at anyone who got in his way or tried to slow him down. Some of the bodies were burned beyond recognition, so the forensic team went about gathering samples and carefully wrapping each body to preserve them until they could be identified. Dave was not among them, which gave them hope that maybe Rupert's search would bear fruit. Charles had never seen his friend so broken up about anything. He didn't know Dave well, but it was clear that Rupert had.

Charles had another person in mind, though. This mission was taking an emotional toll on him, just like it was for many others, but unlike them, Charles hated himself for how much he dwelled on these feelings. One name kept coming to mind, even though he wanted the thoughts of _him_ to stop.

Henry Stickmin.

He had betrayed the government to get away with the Toppat clan, effectively becoming their new leader. Charles had taken it the hardest. He'd been looking forward to that mission, and even though he knew Henry might betray them to return to crime, it still hurt knowing that's what actually happened.

He thought Henry liked him. He knew it was naïve to think that, but he did.

"Ay! Charles, come look!"

Charles looked up at the voice of Quentin Alabaster, a fellow pilot.

Some distance from the crash site, a well-known red-haired convict was wrapped in bloody bandages, crudely applied, while another figure was draped over her, holding her like a dying man desperately trying to transfer whatever life he had left. The red-haired convict they recognized as Ellie Rose, who was a famous thief, and the figure draped on top of her was...

"Henry!?" Charles pried him off of Ellie, pressing an ear to his chest, "Oh my god! He's alive!"

"He's alive!?" Quentin checked Ellie for a pulse, "So is she! Let's get them back to the medics!"

Charles couldn't say that he was surprised. He really should be. As far as he could tell, Henry was a traitor. Why would Henry go out of his way to save someone, even though he was injured himself? From the way Henry had been clinging to Ellie, it really looked like he wanted her to live. Like he really cared about her.

It shouldn't matter. It really shouldn't matter at all.

So why did Charles feel so strongly that Henry was worth saving?

***

"Charlie! I won't ask again! If you ignore my orders one more time-!"

"I'm not risking anyone's life over this! If Rupert dies now, I'll never forgive myself!"

"You'll die too! Charlie! _Charlie! CHARLES CALVIN DO YOU HEAR ME!?"_

Charles had stopped paying the general any mind. Rupert was in the middle of the raid, not in his usual military uniform. He would be mistaken for another Toppat. He would get shot at. He would die.

Charles knew he was putting himself at risk. His own army-green bomber jacket wouldn't guarantee that his stunt wouldn't get him killed, but Rupert was his best friend, and he wasn't going to play with his life.

As Charles drew his gun and flicked off the safety, he noticed just how...empty it was inside. This museum was famous for its collection of rare gemstones and ancient jewelry, so of course it would be the target of a Toppat raid. Ever since Henry's betrayal, the Toppats had been an even bigger headache than they were before. The captain took a risk on Henry, everyone knew that, but they didn't expect everything to get _this much worse_ if Henry decided to go rogue.

Taking a few cautious steps into the room, Charles strained his ears for anything that might jump out at him. He knew Rupert was heading in this direction, he just wasn't sure when. That is, until he heard the thundering footsteps come down the stairs from the second story.

Charles trained his gun on the newcomers. Three of them were Toppats, but the last was a disheveled and injured Rupert, being dragged along against his will in a tattered shirt and pair of trousers. One of the Toppats quickly grabbed Rupert around his neck and pressed a gun to his temple.

Charles' breath hitched.

"Don't shoot, military guy." the Toppat glared at him, "I know for a fact he ain't onna us."

Charles swallowed, "Just hand him over. Reinforcements are on their way, but you can still escape if you hurry."

"Charles, wot the hell'r'ya doin', mate!?" Rupert cried out, almost desperately, "I _want_ ta get captured! I gotta find Davey! 'e's still on t'e airship!"

"I know. We'll rescue Dave, Rupert. I swear we will." Charles felt sweat on his brow as he continued to point the gun at them, "But if the reinforcements get here, they might mistake you for one of them, and I'm not willing to risk that."

Rupert didn't struggle. Charles knew he was plenty strong enough to just break out of the Toppat's grasp, but he wasn't doing that. Rupert had been totally broken up about Dave's capture after he was fired from the last place he'd worked, but Charles didn't want him to put his life on the line for him.

"Please, Rupert." Charles willed his arms to hold still. To stop shaking, "We're going to rescue Dave. I'll make sure we save him, but I can't let you die like this. Come on. Please."

"Just let them go."

Charles bit his lip as a fourth Toppat appeared. He knew that voice.

Henry Stickmin himself, dressed in a dashing suit with a blue tie and gold chains around his tall top hat. The leader of the clan.

Charles was seeing _him_ far too often lately.

"We don't need Price or Calvin." Henry continued, "We need to get outta here. The others need our help."

Rupert hit Henry with the most hate-filled glare he could muster, "Why do ya have my Davey? Can't ya jus' let 'im go?"

"I'm sorry, but we can't." Henry took Rupert's shoulder and shoved him down the hall towards Charles, "Dave knows too much. If we let him go, my clan is in danger."

"Fuck you!" Rupert lunged for Henry, but Charles held him back.

"You _idiot!_ They're pointing _guns_ at your head!"

Rupert glowered at him instead, "Ya better not be mistreatin' 'im, ya son of a bitch! I'll kill ya if ya gave 'im so much's a paper cut!"

"I'll have you know that Dave is fine." Henry urged his clan members forward, "Come on. Reg probably has the getaway vehicle."

Rupert had tears in his eyes by now, "I just want 'im back! 'sat so much ta ask for!?"

Charles pulled him along, "Come on, Rupert. We need to get back to the general."

Just as they were turning to leave, though, both Charles and Rupert missed that the Toppats hadn't actually left yet, and one of them was pointing a gun right at Charles' head.

"NO!"

The gunshot went off. Charles' heart leapt into his throat.

 _"Rupert...?"_ Charles robotically turned back towards him, "Rupert!?"

"I'm fine." Rupert forced himself to move, but luckily, he was more scared than hurt, "You?"

"I'm okay." Charles looked around, "Where did...?"

They both froze with their hands on each other's shoulders. Henry had jumped in front of the gun right as it fired, so now the front of his suit was covered in blood as he clutched his shoulder in pain.

The Toppat dropped the gun, "Boss, I'm so sorry! I'm sorry, please don't punish me! _I'm sorry!"_

"It's fine!" Henry sucked in a breath between his teeth, "Let's just get outta here!"

Charles watched them leave, his stomach having pooled into his shoes. He saw the trajectory of the gun. It was pointed right at him. The Toppat had been aiming for him when Henry jumped in front of the gun to take the bullet himself.

Charles' head was spinning as the reinforcements arrived. Everything after that single gunshot blurred together in his mind. Henry had taken a bullet for him. The leader of the Toppats had risked his own life to save a government soldier from his own underling. Even through the scolding he got from the general for running off, Rupert's tears as he lamented about Dave, questions from other soldiers and assurances that they'd get those thieves next time, even though "next time" never truly came.

All that persisted was a single question;

_Why did he save me?_

***

Charles sat by Henry's bedside as he woke up in the medical wing. It had been 12 hours since the wreckage was first discovered, so it was now 3 am. Charles was tired, but he couldn't sleep. He needed answers.

What really shocked him was that Henry was now cybernetic. His spine and shoulder blades, as well as his entire left arm were now completely made out of metal. The seam between flesh and metal was bruised, swollen in a deep purple color, indicating that these augmentations were recent, and Henry was found wearing nothing but a ratty pair of trousers and an old beat-up pair of combat boots. There was still blood on the clothing, both old and new stains, probably from the surgery and then the battle that nearly killed him.

Ellie was in worse shape. She was being tended to by another medic in the other room, and considering the fact that she didn't have cybernetics to help her survive, she was almost at death's door. Still, Henry had done a surprisingly good job stifling the bleeding, so with enough care and patience, Charles was confident she would survive.

He was broken from his thoughts by a low moan. Henry was waking up.

Charles checked the IV drip to make sure he still had painkillers, "Henry?"

Henry's eyes snapped open, "Ellie-!" his breath got caught in his throat, and he coughed.

"Easy. You just went through something awful. Lay down."

"Ch-Charles...?" Henry glowered at him, his irises stormy, "Whatever. Where's Ellie? Is she okay?"

"Yeah. Ellie is fine." Charles replied, "She's in the other room. She should make a pretty decent recovery, thanks to you."

Henry deflated against the pillow, "Good."

Charles tried not to stare, but he saw that Henry had a very particular scar. It was in his right shoulder, unmarred by cybernetics, and it was still somewhat close to being an actual wound because of how recent it was. It was a bullet wound, from the bullet that Henry had taken to save Charles' life from his own recruit.

Henry self-consciously pulled the blanket over the scar, and Charles looked away, embarrassed at having been caught staring.

"Henry, what the hell happened to the airship?" Charles couldn't stop the questions from pouring out, "What happened to Dave? Where's the old leader? Why did it crash? Why were you so far from the wreckage?"

"Shut up!"

Charles forced his mouth shut.

"Reg betrayed me." Henry stared up at the ceiling, his expression blank, devoid of emotion, "I thought I could trust him. After everything I've done for the clan, everything I've done for _him_...why...?"

Charles reached out to him, thought better of it, and set his hands in his lap instead.

"Even Right." Henry continued, "I thought Right at least would be there for me. I thought he liked me once he saw how much better everything was. I really did care. I wanted to do them proud. Why did Reginald...?"

He trailed off. Charles began to squirm in his seat, uncomfortable with the situation but not wanting to just leave.

"Why did you betray us?"

Henry scoffed, "Because you guys are government shills! You would have betrayed me anyway if I hadn't done it first! You guys just kidnapped me! I don't owe you any loyalty!"

Charles felt dread crawling up his throat, "Okay. I-I guess that's true."

Henry's expression softened, and he looked away.

"I wouldn't have betrayed you, though." Charles leaned forward on his knees, "We meant what we said about the pardon. We wouldn't have bothered you anymore."

Henry's fists bunched up in the fabric of the blanket.

"To be honest..." Charles rubbed the back of his neck, "I...thought we could have even been... _friends..."_

Henry didn't respond, and Charles didn't look to see if he had a physical reaction to the incredibly embarrassing thing that he had just admitted.

"I know, it's stupid. Trust me, I _know_ it's stupid, but I still thought that...maybe..."

"Oh, whatever." Henry said darkly, "You really think I'm dumb enough to believe something like that? You're from the government. You can't be trusted. Law enforcement never did me any favors."

Charles stood to tower over him, "Henry, the general was in favor of letting you die. When we found the wreckage, we knew that saving you was stupid, but I begged him to let us save you, and you wanna know why? Because _I care!"_

"No you don't!" Henry sat up, "Fuck you, Charles! I hate you! You should have let me die! At least then we wouldn't be having this conversation!"

"No! Fuck _you!"_ Charles cursed his eyes for burning, cursed them for filling with tears, _"You're_ just a backstabbing criminal! Do you know how much shit I've been through because of the Toppats!? You made my life a living hell, and now my best friend is out there having a panic attack because the guy he likes was on _your airship when it crashed!"_

A wave of guilt washed over Henry's expression before it hardened again, "I can't believe you! You kidnapped a criminal and then got surprised when they fought back!? Why bother saving me at all!? Just to torment me!?"

"No! I saved you because I thought that you were worth saving!"

"Why!?"

 _"Because you saved me!"_ Charles practically screamed at the top of his lungs, _"And you saved Ellie! Neither of us would be alive right now if it wasn't for you!"_

Henry crossed his arms, "You know what? Get the fuck out of my sight. I don't want you here. If I'm going to suffer, then just let me suffer in fucking peace."

"Why do you think I'm lying?" Charles' voice wavered as the tears spilled over, "Whatever. Just...why did you save me?"

Henry's eyes widened as he looked back at him, "What?"

"Why did you save me?" Charles repeated, "In the museum. You took a bullet for me, remember? Why did you do that if you hate me?"

Henry touched the bullet scar in his shoulder again, his face red up to his ears as his mouth formed a squiggly frown.

"Because..." he said softly, twisting his hands together, "I didn't want you to die."

Charles met his gaze, and his heart thumped hard against his ribcage. What was this feeling? What was happening to him?

Henry Stickmin, the former leader of the Toppat clan and the infamous thief who had stolen more than the airship's weight in riches...had taken a bullet for his worst enemy.

Because...he didn't want him to die...?

"You know what?" Charles bore his gaze directly into Henry's, "I'm not gonna stay just so you can insult me. I'll personally see to your arrest as soon as you can fucking breathe on your own."

Charles shut the door behind him harder than was necessary, but once the door had separated them, he lost all the fight he had in him and simply crumpled against it.

Why? Why did it feel so bad? Why did he feel so rejected? What was it about Henry that made him feel so...

He pushed the thought from his mind as he headed down the hallway. He still had a lot of work to do.

***

Charles couldn't sleep.

He was haunted by dreams about Henry. The two of them had spoken a bit before the airship mission, and after Henry's betrayal, the two of them just so happened to meet over and over again. To be fair, Charles was often on Toppat missions, particularly the worst ones, and the worst Toppat raids often had their leader on them.

He never failed to notice the way Henry acted. The way he cared about his new recruits, the way he laughed at the most mundane things, the way his eyes sparkled like gemstones when he was excited...Charles noticed all of it, but why? Henry was his enemy! Henry himself made that clear as day! So why did Charles feel increasingly drawn to him?

Was it because he took a bullet for him?

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He jumped out of bed and slid his shoes on to run down to the prisoners, still in his pajamas. Henry was currently the only one there.

Once he found him, he stood outside his cell. Henry was pacing, seemingly lost in thought until his gaze fell on Charles and he stopped right behind the door.

Henry barely whispered as his hands rested on the bars, "You came back."

Charles reached out slowly, his palm up to show he wasn't holding anything. Henry did flinch slightly at first, but then he leaned forward as Charles' hand took the collar of Henry's prison shirt and pushed it down to expose the bullet scar. The one he'd gotten to save him.

Henry leaned so close that his chest pressed into the bars, Charles' cool fingers gently circling the scar, "Charles...I wanted to say that I'm sorry."

Charles' gaze met his.

"I'm one to talk about you not being trustworthy." Henry's hand found Charles', still resting on his shoulder by his collarbone, "I betrayed you, I betrayed Ellie...and now Reginald has betrayed me. Clearly, criminals are the ones who can't be trusted, not you guys."

"Henry." _Stop. What are you doing?_ "You can't always judge how trustworthy someone will be based solely on their affiliations. I really did wanna give you a chance. I don't know why. I keep seeing you, I keep thinking about what you did for me and everything, and I just...I know I'm not supposed to feel like this, but..."

Henry's hand came up to cup his cheek, "Charles...I..."

He trailed off.

_This is wrong. He's your enemy. Don't you dare. Don't you dare do this-!_

Before Charles could stop himself, Henry's lips were pressed into his own. He leaned into it, letting his eyes slip closed.

_Stop! Don't you remember what he did to the airship!? Dave might be dead because of him!_

But that's just it, isn't it? He took down the Toppats. In the end, he stopped the madness that he had once contributed to.

There was a scar on Henry's lip that grazed over Charles' mouth, making him shiver. His lips were so soft.

_What will the general say!? What if you get discharged for this!? You're risking your entire livelihood for a kiss!?_

Well...maybe he was.

He finally broke off with a gasp. His chest had been pushing hard into the bars to try and get closer, and Henry's body was so warm. Henry's hands came up to wrap around Charles' waist. He didn't want him to let go. What the hell was up with him!?

"I want to trust you, Charles." Henry let his cheek rest on a metal bar of the cage door, "I understand if you can't forgive me. I'm ready for any punishment you might dish out, then I'm going to leave."

"Where are you gonna go?"

Henry sighed, his eyes closing again before he smiled, "Don't worry about it. Just know that I won't bother you ever again."

Charles didn't like the sound of that.

"Fuck. What am I doing?" Charles forced himself to step away from the cell, "I shouldn't be doing this. What'll the general say when he finds out I kissed...!"

He stared down at the floor. The prison wing had cameras in it. People were going to find out.

"Like I said. Don't worry about it." Henry laughed bitterly, "Did you know that I've never kissed anyone before? I'm glad I got to at least once in my life."

"Henry..."

Something snapped in Charles' chest like a broken guitar string.

Suddenly, everything made sense.

"Henry...I think you're cool."

Henry rolled his eyes, "Oh, sure."

"No! Really!" Charles reached into the cage for Henry's hands, "You may be a criminal, but I've seen what you can do. You fought for the people you cared about. Your plans on heists were always incredible and impressive, and I mean, I don't condone theft obviously, but the way you went about it was crazy! And...and you saved me. You have this scar now because of me. You could have died...for _me!"_

Henry didn't respond.

"I'll figure something out." Charles turned to leave, "I'll talk to the general. I'll make your case, I'll do something, just give me some time-!"

"Why!?"

Henry was reaching out for him, stretching his arm out as far as he could.

"Why help me?"

"I already told you, Henry." Charles shrugged, "Because I think you're worth saving."

Henry was misguided, but Charles truly believed that deep down, he was a good person. He'd proven it, time and time again. If he could only get the general to see that, if he could only figure out how to fix this...

Charles walked faster. Then he ran.

He had a lot more work to do, and this time, he would do it well.

***

Charles rocked back and forth on his heels as he shoved his palms into both eyes. He should have known his efforts would be futile. He should have known that the general wouldn't listen.

"Charlie, what on god's green earth are you on about?"

"He's not just a criminal!" Charles had ceased using rational arguments and had simply reverted to pleading, "Look at everything I just showed you! He saved my life, for god's sake! Why won't you listen!?"

"Look, just because Henry ended up taking down the Toppats-!"

"But that's not all he did-!"

"And he saved you from getting shot by his own soldier-!"

"That is actually important-!"

"He STILL took down the airship in a way that caused so much unnecessary collateral damage! Need I remind you that we still have yet to find the body of Dave Panpa!?"

"We've killed a bunch of people too-!"

"And he was the leader of the Toppats for so long! Not once did he ever show remorse or try to fix all the damage he caused! If you really think all of this is enough to excuse that behavior, then you've truly lost your mind!"

Charles' throat hurt from screaming. He hated this. Why was he fighting so hard for Henry? Was he really that blind from infatuation? Was it something else?

This was wrong.

He should just give up.

"General, wait!"

They turned towards the voice.

Dave himself was in the doorway, a downcast Henry by his side. Dave had stolen the keys for Henry's cell to bring him up to the office.

"Panpa! You're alive!" Galeforce exclaimed before Charles could say anything.

"Yeah! I sure am!" Dave gestured to the figure beside him, "And it's all thanks to Henry here!"

Henry rubbed his arm awkwardly as he tried to look anywhere but at the three other people in the room.

"You see..." Dave began, "Henry was always nice to me when I was in that cell on the airship, and a bunch of the other Toppats were nice to me too. Henry gave harsh punishments to the recruits that treated prisoners badly, and once he decided to come back as a cyborg, he freed a bunch of people in the brig and let them go."

Charles could feel his heart swell with hope as Dave shot a smile towards him. He couldn't believe it! Dave was on his side!

"We found Davey 'ere in 'is home when we were lookin' fer evidence to 'elp track 'im down." Rupert appeared behind Henry, all bright smiles at the return of the man he loved.

"He helped me, too." Ellie was there too, though there were a lot of bandages around her head and torso, "He betrayed me for the Toppats at first, but then he helped me take them down, and then he saved my life."

Rupert nudged her knowingly, "Anyway, I know what yer trynna do, Charles. I remember that day when Henry jumped in fronna that gun ta save yer life, an' I remember bein' positive that 'e did it knowin' full well what could 'appen ta him. 'e seemed so sure, like 'e didn't regret a thing."

Henry was now looking so uncomfortable that Charles was sure he was wishing the floor would open up and swallow him whole just to escape this conversation.

Instead though, Henry spoke, _"I still don't regret it. I'd take a million bullets for you, Charles."_

Those words seemed to pierce through Galeforce like a lance as Charles smiled wide, unable to fight the giggles that bubbled up out of him like a volcano.

Charles' laughter made Henry smile, which only made him laugh more, "Even when you worked with the Toppats, you still wanted to keep me alive, huh?"

Henry nodded, swallowing thickly as he reached up to touch his shirt where that particular scar lay underneath, _"I don't know what you always saw in me. Every time you pointed your gun at me, I could see the hesitation. I understood in a way, though. I hated pointing my gun at you too. There were times when I wanted to just drop everything and declare you my ally because I hate being on opposing sides. I liked you guys, but I couldn't trust you."_

Galeforce let his gaze fall.

"Charles, I'm really sorry..." Dave piped up, "But I saw the security footage from last night."

Charles felt a knot form in his stomach, like he'd swallowed a rock.

"We put Henry through a bunch of tests, including a proper interrogation and a lie-detector test." Dave put a hand on Henry's shoulder, "He did save me and a bunch of other people, and he did take down the Toppats in the end. He says he wants to start over, and I think he's telling the truth."

"Me too." said Rupert.

"Me too!" said Ellie.

Charles found himself walking automatically until he stood right in front of Henry. Henry wanted to look away out of shame, but he didn't. Instead, he met Charles' eye right on.

Toppat leader Henry had a very different mood to humbled and betrayed Henry. When Charles was staring down the barrel of Henry's gun, those blue eyes were stormy and grey, though he could always see the hesitation; The shaking limb that held the weapon, a sad frown slowly encompassing his face as if he wanted to say, _"Please don't make me shoot you."_

But there was none of that now. Instead, the blue eyes were shiny and open like diamonds, his eyelashes casting thin shadows over the glowing irises.

Henry shrugged as he was being scrutinized, "I have nothing left to lose."

Galeforce gave an exasperated sigh, "Fine. I'll pardon you for taking down the Toppats _and_ for saving Dave. If you go back to crime again though, there will be no second chances."

Charles bit his lip, his smile wide enough to hurt his face.

"But for the record, I saw the security footage too." Galeforce grabbed Henry by the shirt collar, "And if you make Charles shed so much as a single tear, _I will personally see to it that you never see the outside world again."_

He roughly pushed Henry into the doorway as he left the office, probably to process that pardon, and Henry shivered as he grabbed the front of his shirt, clawing at the skin to dispel the feeling of having been grabbed so forcefully.

"Yes! _Yes!"_ Charles jumped up and down, "Thank you thank you _thank you!"_

"Hey!" Ellie raised her hand for a high five, "We're pardoned pals, Henry! Congrats!"

Rupert watched the general go with increasing unease, "Well, now that the general's gone, what the _fuck!?_ Why _Henry_ of all people!?"

"Look, it's a bit difficult to explain, okay?" Charles took Henry's hands, "Hey, uh...can I kiss you now that there are no bars between us?"

Henry thought about it, "Hmmm...not here. I don't want to be watched."

"Oi. Charles is my best mate, okay, buddy?" Rupert hit his shoulder, "I'm a great shot with a sniper. If you break 'is 'eart, yer gettin' the end of my bullet through yer skull. Got it?"

"Look, _buddy,_ if I break Charles' heart, I'm putting a bullet through my own skull!"

Rupert's eyebrows flew up, along with Dave's and Ellie's.

"Fuck, I shouldn't've said that."

"Let's just go." Charles pat Rupert's shoulder on the way out, "And Rupert, I'm an adult. I can take care of myself."

He got no response as he led Henry down the hall. He didn't let it bother him though. He knew his heart was in good hands.

***

As soon as the door was shut, Charles pushed Henry back onto the bed, locking their lips as he knelt on the floor between his legs. Henry hummed into his mouth, his hands finding the back of Charles' head.

Charles broke off when he felt Henry trembling, "Sorry. You okay?"

Henry didn't meet his eye, "God...do you know how long I've been wanting you to do that?"

Charles flushed red, "Um...d'you know how long I've been wanting to do that?"

Henry leaned in again, "Why don't you show me?"

Charles locked their lips again, his hands wandering to the hem of Henry's shirt. He very carefully pushed the fabric up to feel the scarred skin of Henry's back. His touch created goosebumps. Henry's arms wrapped around his neck, encouraging him to move his hands up further. He felt the metal that made up Henry's spine, and Henry flinched, pushing him away.

"Henry?"

"Um, sorry, uhh..." Henry held his left arm close to his chest, "Ummm..."

Charles kissed Henry's neck on the cybernetic side, and Henry yelped.

"I don't think you're any less cool now that you're partially robotic, Hen." Charles mumbled into the metal, which ran hot from working so hard, "If anything, it makes you even cooler."

Henry leaned into the affection, "You sure?"

"Mhm." Charles kissed the metal again before easing Henry's shirt up, "Don't worry. I'm going slow."

Henry broke away briefly to tug his shirt the rest of the way off, tossing it aside before pushing Charles' jacket off his shoulders, and Charles wasted no time stripping it off, along with the white t-shirt underneath. Henry's breath hitched as his gaze fell over Charles' muscular chest, marred with scars.

Charles captured him in another kiss, more clumsy this time, as his hands returned to Henry's spine. Henry arched his back, his head lolling back and giving Charles free access to more neck to kiss. Henry was panting, the fan in his enhancements spinning loudly to account for the heat being generated.

He buried his face in Charles' shoulder, his grip around him tightening, _"Mmmmm...where'd you learn to do this?"_

"I dunno. Just doing what feels right."

Charles pulled away slightly, running his hand up to the bullet scar. His gaze flicked up to Henry's, then back to the scar before he placed a gentle kiss to it, and Henry shuttered.

"You know..." Charles rested his head on Henry's organic shoulder, "We wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for this scar."

Henry cradled Charles' head as his lips returned to his skin, "I hope you realize it's not fun to get shot."

"And yet, you did it anyway. To save me." Charles' arms wrapped around Henry's waist, gently nipping at the scar and breathing against it, _"This is the reason we're here right now."_

 _"Ah!"_ Henry gasped, _"C-careful. I'm sensitive there."_

"That's the idea." Charles let his fingers ghost over the seam between Henry's cybernetic spine and the badly bruised skin around it.

Henry's hands found Charles' back, huffing as he tried to return the kisses and soft bites that Charles was showering him with. Charles' lips wandered across Henry's collarbone to rest on his left shoulder.

He gently bit at the metal, "Can you feel through this?"

Henry flinched, "God, what do _you_ think?"

Charles let his tongue run over the metal just beneath Henry's ear, and Henry practically leapt a foot in the air, _"I_ think...you can feel through it."

_"Y-yeah...no sh-shit, Sherlock..."_

There wasn't a lot of conviction behind those words, so Charles just continued to lick and kiss Henry's neck until he was melting into a puddle, his grip weak and shaky as his breaths came harsh and shallow. The bruises around the metal tasted like blood, so Charles was much more gentle as his lips grazed them, not daring to touch the injured flesh with his teeth. It didn't matter though. Henry was trembling and gasping like Charles was going at him with all the aggression in the world.

Charles broke off to kiss the palm of Henry's cybernetic hand, "Is this okay?"

Henry nodded, his head heavy, "I'm so glad we're not enemies anymore."

Charles smiled warmly, placing another kiss on Henry's metal wrist, "Me too."

Henry was having trouble keeping his eyes open, so Charles picked him up and lay him in the bed, pulling the covers up to his neck. Henry turned around, taking Charles' arms to place them around his waist so he was being spooned, and Charles gave him a squeeze as he kissed the back of Henry's neck, feeling the sparks from the electronics underneath.

Henry took a deep breath as he leaned into the warmth around him, "I hope you know how hard this is for me."

Charles nuzzled into him lovingly, "Hush. Of course I know. You left us in the first place because you couldn't trust us, but I'll be patient with you. Will you be here when I wake up?"

He was already going, but he forced himself to stay awake long enough to hear any possible response. He wasn't stupid. He knew what Henry meant when he said he wouldn't bother them anymore. He couldn't allow that to happen. Not to someone he admired so much.

Finally though, Henry said, "Yeah. I'll be here. Where would I go if I left anyway? I have nothing else left."

"Hey, don't worry. You won't feel alone forever."

Henry turned his head so his face was being crushed by the pillow, and Charles hugged him tighter as he began to cry.

He knew that Henry wasn't trusting him because he wanted to. He was trusting him because Reginald's betrayal had torn him in half; It had weakened him. Henry wasn't just upset over this; He was _actively grieving_ the person he thought he knew. It was as if Reginald had died right in front of him, and he was just trying to pick off the imposters that had taken his place. The difference of course was that because it was a betrayal, Reginald had lied to him about himself. Henry trusted him, and his trust had been so cruelly broken.

Charles was ready for Henry to not trust him. He knew that once Henry had regained some semblance of safety, he would close off like an armadillo, and it would be extremely difficult to break him out of his shell again. However, despite all that, Charles was going to be patient with him. He knew it would hurt to not be trusted, but it wasn't Henry's fault, and unlearning all his criminal programming would take a lot of time and love.

Henry rolled back over towards Charles to huddle into his chest, _"Damn. This hurts so much."_

"I know, I know." Charles wiped Henry's tears away, "I'm sorry, Hen. Hey, It's okay. I'm here for you."

Henry kissed Charles' neck before burying his face in it, _"Don't go anywhere, okay?"_

Charles held him close, feeling the way he relaxed as he drifted off, "I won't. Goodnight, Hen."

This was going to be difficult beyond measure, but Charles would be patient, because he knew that Henry was worth it.

***

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi to me on tumblr! marshemillow.tumblr.com


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